Violent offender with long history of assaults expected to live in Winnipeg after release: police

A man with a history of violence, including a manslaughter conviction in the death of a child, multiple assault convictions and sexual offences, is expected to live in Winnipeg after being released from jail, police say.

Marcel Hank Charlette, 52, was released Tuesday from Headingley Correctional Centre after serving a sentence for breaching multiple conditions of a prior release, police said in a news release.

Charlette, who also goes by the names Hank Marcel Caribou, Hank Charlette, Peewee and Bald Eagle, is considered a high risk to reoffend in a sexual or violent manner against all people, police say.

His long criminal record includes a 1991 conviction for manslaughter in the death of a two-year-old child, for which he received a six-year sentence.

That same year, he was convicted of assault for punching a woman in the face, police said.

In 1996, he was convicted of aggravated assault in what police described as a brutal attack, punching and kicking a woman. He was sentenced to 42 months in that assault.

He was convicted of assaulting a woman again in 2004, and was convicted on two more counts of assault in 2006.

Charlette was convicted of assault again in 2010 after attacking a random woman, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. During that assault, he confined and attacked his victim, causing her severe physical and psychological harm, police previously said.

In 2021, he was convicted of assaulting a domestic partner, and was sentenced to 18 months in jail and three years probation.

He's being released under a number of conditions, including a lifetime weapons ban.

Under his probation order, he's also prohibited from possessing or consuming drugs or alcohol, from attending any place or event where selling alcohol is a primary purpose, and from possessing any pornography depicting violence.

He also must notify his probation officer of any type of relationship with a woman and must abide by a curfew between 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily, with limited exceptions, police said.

Charlette is described as about five feet tall and 123 pounds, with black hair or a shaved head. He has several tattoos, including a triangle above and below each eye and two teardrops under his left eye, lettering on both cheeks, and numbers on both sides of his jaw. He also has tattoos on his arms, back and hands, and has scars on his right thumb and arm.

The notification, released by the Manitoba Integrated High-Risk Sex Offender unit — a joint Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP unit — is intended to let people take suitable measures to protect themselves, police said. They warned that any form of vigilante activity or other unreasonable conduct directed at Charlette will not be tolerated.

Anyone with information about Charlette is asked to contact the Winnipeg Police Service at 204-986-6222, their local RCMP detachment, or Manitoba Crime Stoppers at 204-786-8477 or toll-free at 1-800-222-8477.